Patna, April 7: The state police headquarters has set up a cell to monitor preventive action taken against troublemakers during the panchayat elections starting on April 20.

Director-general of police (DGP) Neel Mani said a separate cell has been set up at the police headquarters to monitor the preventive measures, such as execution of arrest warrants, attachment of property, seizure of illegal firearms and explosives, taken on a day-to-day basis.

He said instructions have been given to all the SPs to take action against the troublemakers under section 107 of the CrPC. “We have concentrated on the preventive measures, to ensure peaceful polls,” he said.

“It is our priority to ensure a violence-free elections, just as last year’s Assembly polls, which was almost trouble-free,” Neel Mani said.

He said the headquarters would not hesitate in initiating action against the erring police officials.

The DGP said the elections would be held with the help of the state police force. “We have about 8,000 personnel of the Special Auxiliary Police (ex-army men), who will be deployed in adequate numbers to keep the troublemakers at bay,” Neel Mani said.

The DGP reviewed the preparedness for the elections today at a meeting with the police officers of Patna and Magadh zones. The officers also came to attend the meeting convened by the election commission.

The DGP said the police personnel deployed in Naxalite-affected districts have been put on alert and have been asked to be extra careful.

“All the SPs of the Maoist-hit districts have been asked to launch combing operations under their jurisdiction as part of area domination exercise for an incident-free poll,” he said.

Meanwhile, the state election commission (SEC) today held a meeting with the top officials of the civil and police administration of two divisions of Patna and Magadh to review the preparedness of the panchayat elections.

Talking to reporters after holding a review meeting with the commissioners, deputy inspector-generals, inspector generals, district magistrates the SPs, state election commissioner J.K. Dutta said the commission has demanded around 400 companies of central paramilitary forces (CPMF) for panchayat polls.

However, sources in the SEC said the CPMF might not be available to the state for panchayat polls keeping in mind the Assembly elections in five other states.

Stating that the central government has not made CPMF available to the commission, Dutta said: “We are in a position to conduct peaceful elections with the help of SAP, Bihar Military Police and home guard jawans. The commission has been conducting the elections in eight to 10 phases keeping in view the availability of the central forces.”

The vote counting will now be held in the daytime, the SEC said adding that district magistrate would decide how to carry out the counting.